My Finance Career Path: Seeking Advice

Hello Everyone! 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, I'm having such a stressful time deciding which path to take. I started school later after highschool as a part time student, now 25 I am set to graduate this December 2023 with a Major in Business Administration concentration in Finance, from a state university in Silicon Valley. I have no Internships, a few past part time jobs (3 non related jobs, one sales job currently). Have a 3.3 Gpa, and am really unsure with this job market. I want to pursue a career in Finance like Banking, investment analysis, wealth/asset management, private equity, hedge funds, consulting, analyst, etc.. basically higher Finance Roles. I feel like I dont have the experience as for the lack of internships(None) related to the jobs I want to break into. I would love to get opinions and advice as to the options I plan to choose from.

1.) Pursuing a one year MBA Online - this is an option as it is cheaper and less time to complete than a traditional 2 year MBA. I plan on trying to find internships during this time, even if that means taking some time off during school as a lot of one year online MBA allow you to extend the program. Cons could be that not a lot of ranked MBAs offer this type of program.


2.) Pursuing a one year Masters of Science in Finance (MSF) - Also Online and I would be doing the same thing as mentioned above, trying to find an internship while in school. There are some well ranked schools who offer this program but researching more feel as if it doesn't hold up as well/respected as to getting an MBA. This option is cheaper than most One year online MBA

3.) Pursuing CFA - Post Grad while still trying to find a job I would be studying and intend to pass the CFA Level 1 exam. (Could I potentially still land an Internship post Grad if I say I'm pursuing CFA?) If so, I would apply to both Full time Jobs, and Internships and see what I can get first or what's more ideal.   
     
4.) Pursuing an Entry Level banking job and working my way up - Spend all my time pursuing any entry role to get some experience and work my way up the ladder to the jobs I want to land. Any advice on best roles to do this? With my experience being taken into consideration.

I fully acknowledge that my current situation is far from ideal due to my limited experience. However, I am determined to proactively address this shortfall and make the necessary adjustments to pivot towards my desired finance career. Any advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated.
 

1 Comments
 

Sequi ut voluptatem blanditiis odio rerum eum maxime. Asperiores quidem voluptas consectetur sed inventore fugit. Aut ex distinctio occaecati magnam. Vel quam dicta quo quia. Qui molestiae quasi repudiandae sint. Quisquam at eum sit.

Debitis reprehenderit ad qui est assumenda id delectus. Hic et fugit optio corrupti. At adipisci voluptatem deserunt. Quas ut dolor ipsa nihil quaerat.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Guggenheim Partners No 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (81) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”